PUP leader says ‘grinders are waiting’ for dual language street signs in his area

The leader of the Progressive Unionist Party has said “the grinders are sitting waiting” for any dual language street signs which would appear in his area.

PUP councillor Russell Watton, the party’s only remaining elected representative in Northern Ireland, described the erection of Irish-English street signs as “sectarian and divisive” at a meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council on Tuesday.

Councillors had been discussing a potential change to its existing policy for dual language street signage, which holds that two thirds of residents on a street must express support for the proposed signs.

Several other councils, including Belfast City Council, have a policy of a 15% threshold in order for the signage to proceed.

Officials had informed councillors that retaining the current 66% threshold was “potentially misaligned with evolving legislative expectations”.

Dual language street sign policies have been heavily scrutinised in recent months across several council areas, while a number of signs featuring the Irish language have been damaged.

Cllr Watton told a full council debate on the issue that the people he represents “couldn’t give a damn” about the Irish language and said any dual language signs erected in his area “would be down the next morning”.

“You say it’s not a foreign language, it may not be foreign to you but it’s foreign to me,” Cllr Watton said.

“The people I represent, they couldn’t give a damn about it. That’s just being truthful.

“It’s sectarian and it’s divisive. I don’t know where we’re going to go with this but I could tell you now, if there was a sign put up at the end of my street, it would be down the next morning.

“No point in me telling you otherwise. I’m telling you, the grinders are sitting waiting. You can put them up all you want, they’ll not be up too long and that’s a fact.”

During the meeting, councillors narrowly voted to retain the current policy of a 66% threshold for dual language signage.

Irish language rights group Conradh na Gaeilge have described Cllr Watton’s comments as a “heinous anti-Irish outburst” and the decision by Causeway Coast and Glens councillors to uphold its current policy as “hugely disappointing”.

“The decision of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council to continue presiding over a restrictive, draconian dual language street signage policy is hugely disappointing, yet entirely unsurprising. In the years since adopting its first policy on dual language signage, fifteen applications have come before the council.

“All of those applications showed significant majority of residents in favour, with little to no opposition. Not one of those application were approved. That record alone speaks volumes.

“We find the remarks from Cllr Watton deeply disturbing and troubling.”